Generative Engine Optimization: What It Is and Why It Matters for 2025

February 5, 2025

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min read

Generative Engine Optimization: What It Is and Why It Matters for Your Strategy in 2025

Have you noticed how AI search tools are changing the way we find information online? In recent years, tools like ChatGPT and Google’s new search experience have reshaped our approach to finding answers, and a new technique called Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is quickly making its mark. If you’re running a business, a blog, or an online store, it’s time to check out GEO and see how it can slide into your overall plan—kind of like that unexpected bonus in your paycheck.

In this post, we’re going to cover several important topics:

What is GEO?
Is GEO replacing traditional SEO?
How can you optimize for generative AI searches?
What are the key differences between SEO and GEO?

I’ll also share some practical steps you can implement today, along with a personal story that shows how diversifying your content can help you compete even against sites with a much higher domain authority. So, grab a cup of coffee, and let’s get rolling!

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What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?

Generative Engine Optimization is all about making sure your content is structured and written so that AI-powered search engines pick it up and use it to answer users’ questions. Unlike traditional SEO—where you focus on ranking among a list of search results—GEO is designed to have your content included as part of a generated answer when someone asks a question. Think of it as giving the AI a cheat sheet that highlights your best bits.

When someone types a query into an AI search tool or speaks to a voice assistant, the response often comes as a friendly, conversational answer rather than a list of links. GEO means adjusting your content so that it’s clear, organized, and useful for these smart systems. For example, if your site explains how to fix a leaky faucet, the AI might grab that explanation and show it directly to the user without the extra step of clicking through. If you’re curious about how these systems work, check out Google’s SGE guidelines for a peek under the hood.

Here is an example comparing the same search term, but using traditional a Search Engine and AI powered search.

Traditional Search

AI Powered Search Engine

At its core, GEO means:

Writing in a clear, conversational tone.
Breaking your content into sections with descriptive headings.
Answering specific questions directly on the page.
Using structured data (schema markup) to help the AI understand your content.

The goal here is to have your page recognized as the best source for answering a particular question. When an AI sees that your article clearly explains “What is generative engine optimization?” or “How do I optimize for AI searches?”, it might include your content as part of its answer. This doesn’t mean you lose all the benefits of traditional SEO—instead, GEO adds another shiny channel to your overall visibility toolbox.

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Is GEO Replacing Traditional SEO?

Not at all. Traditional SEO is still the bread and butter of online visibility. You still need to keep your site well-structured, fast, and packed with valuable content. GEO simply offers an extra avenue to get your content seen—especially by those increasingly chatty AI-powered search engines.

Consider this: Traditional SEO is all about ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs), where users click through a list of links. GEO, on the other hand, is about ensuring that your content is chosen by AI as the answer to a query. With AI providing conversational responses, your content might be delivered directly to the user, even if they never click through. While this may mean fewer clicks from classic search, your brand still gets prime exposure.

For a deeper look into how this shift is changing traffic patterns, check out this analysis of AI search impact. Research shows that even if click-through rates dip, being part of the AI’s answer can boost trust and brand recognition. So, GEO isn’t replacing SEO—it’s just adding a fresh twist to how you connect with your audience. And yes, even your mom will notice your brand’s name in those friendly AI responses!

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How to Optimize for Generative AI Searches

Alright, let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the nitty-gritty. Here are some practical, no-nonsense steps you can start using today to prepare your content for the brave new world of AI-driven search.

1. Write Clear and Direct Content

When writing, aim for clarity and simplicity. Use headings that clearly mark the sections, and keep your paragraphs short and sweet. This helps AI systems quickly pick up your main ideas. For example, if your article answers a specific question, include that direct answer right at the start—kind of like the TL;DR of your page.

2. Use Structured Data

Structured data is a way to tell search engines exactly what your content is about. Adding schema markup (like FAQPage or Article schema) makes it easier for AI to find the key information. If you’re curious about how to do this, check out Google’s schema guidelines. This is especially useful if you run a local business or an online store where details like opening hours, product specs, and reviews need to be crystal clear.

3. Include Q&A Sections

Since many users now ask questions directly to AI search tools, having a dedicated Q&A or FAQ section on your page can be a real game-changer. Answer common questions in a clear, conversational tone, and you increase your chances of being featured as the answer. For instance, if you have an article titled “How to Fix a Leaky Faucet,” add a section with questions like “What tools do I need?” and “How do I locate the leak?” along with concise answers. The more directly you answer, the better your odds.

4. Make Your Content Easy to Scan

Use bullet points, numbered lists, and short paragraphs to break up your content. Not only does this help human readers, but it also allows AI to quickly extract the key points. Here’s a quick table to show how different content elements help with GEO:

Content Element	Purpose for GEO
Headings & Subheadings	Signal the main topics and organize your content
Bullet Points	Break down important steps or lists into digestible bits
FAQ Sections	Directly answer common questions that AI might use
Structured Data	Provide clear signals about the content to AI systems

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5. Focus on Long-Tail Questions

Long-tail queries are those specific, detailed questions that users might ask an AI. They tend to be less competitive and can help you attract a niche audience. Instead of targeting a broad term like “SEO tips,” try something like “how to improve AI search visibility for small business blogs.” These longer queries might not bring a flood of traffic, but they can attract quality visitors who are looking for exactly what you offer.

I have already experimented with this and it works very well. I was recently typing a long-tail query into ChatGPT— “how to use deepseek r1 to write seo content that ranks”—and, one of my articles popped up as a top result. This happened even though a website with a much higher domain authority was also in the mix. That moment taught me that diversifying your content and optimizing for GEO can help you punch above your weight. Who knew that even a small fish can sometimes outswim a shark if it’s got the right moves?

6. Diversify Your Content Formats

It’s not just about text. Think about incorporating videos, infographics, and even podcasts into your mix. For example, a video that explains a process can be accompanied by a transcript or a detailed summary on your page. This extra bit of context makes it easier for AI to pick up the important details from your multimedia content.

One of my own videos did just that. I made sure it had a clear, engaging transcript on the page, and guess what? It started ranking well for a long-tail query—even outperforming a competitor with a way higher domain authority. This goes to show that when you offer a mix of content types and make each piece GEO-friendly, you can stand out in a big pond.

7. Keep Your Content Updated

AI systems love fresh content. Make it a habit to review and update your pages regularly to reflect the latest information, stats, and trends. Regular updates signal to both search engines and AI that your content is reliable and current. Think of it as giving your content a little spa day—everyone likes to feel refreshed now and then.

8. Build and Use a Consistent Brand Voice

A relaxed and conversational tone can help both your human readers and AI systems understand your content better. Write as if you’re chatting with a friend—simple, honest, and maybe even a tad cheeky. Avoid the overly technical jargon unless it’s absolutely necessary. Remember, your personality is your secret sauce, and it can help set you apart from the big guys.

9. Monitor Your Results

Keep an eye on your analytics to see how your content is performing. Look at where your traffic is coming from and how users interact with your pages. Some new tools even show you how often your content is featured in AI-generated answers. Use this data to tweak your strategy over time—after all, even the best chefs taste their dishes before serving them.

For more detailed tips on these tactics, you might want to check out this guide on SEO best practices, which is now evolving to include GEO factors.

Differences Between SEO and GEO

While both SEO and GEO aim to get your content seen by the right audience, they operate in slightly different realms. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences:

Aspect	Traditional SEO	Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)
Primary Goal	Ranking high on search engine results pages	Being chosen as the answer in AI-generated responses
User Interaction	Users click on a list of links	Users receive a conversational answer without necessarily clicking
Content Format	Detailed, keyword-rich pages	Clear, direct answers with structured content
Measurement Metrics	Click-through rates and ranking position	Visibility within AI answers and share of voice in generated responses
Optimization Techniques	Keyword research, link building, on-page tweaks	Structured data, FAQ sections, long-tail question targeting, and clear formatting

This table shows how traditional SEO and GEO serve different purposes. Traditional SEO remains essential for overall visibility, but GEO specifically helps you capture those users who rely on AI to get their answers—making your content part of the conversation.

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Actionable Advice for Boosting Your GEO

Let’s wrap up the actionable bits you can implement right now to boost your GEO:

Audit Your Existing Content:
Go through your top pages and check if they answer common questions directly. Enhance or add FAQ sections and break up long paragraphs into shorter, easier-to-digest bits.
Implement Structured Data:
If you haven’t done so already, add schema markup to your pages. This helps AI systems quickly understand your content. Use tools like Google’s Rich Results Test to ensure everything’s working as it should.
Create Content for Long-Tail Queries:
Identify the detailed questions your target audience is asking. Write content that gives clear, direct answers. Long-tail keywords might not bring in a flood of traffic, but they deliver quality visitors who are looking for exactly what you offer.
Diversify Your Content Formats:
Mix up your content types—if you usually write articles, try adding videos, infographics, or podcasts. And don’t forget to include a text summary or transcript for each format. This not only helps with GEO but also caters to different learning styles.
Keep Your Brand Voice Consistent:
Write in a friendly, relaxed tone that reflects your personality. A little bit of humor goes a long way—like a wink in text form. It makes your content more engaging and memorable.
Monitor Your Performance:
Use analytics tools to track which pages are being picked up by AI systems. Keep an eye on changes in traffic patterns and user engagement. Adjust your strategy based on the data you gather, so your content always hits the mark.
Stay Updated:
The search landscape is constantly changing. Follow updates from Google’s Search Central or trusted industry blogs to keep your GEO strategy current.

an illustration outlining the key elements to ensuring you optimise for GEO

A Personal Story: When Small Content Outranked the Big Guys

I have had experience with ranking for GEO and this particular case will show you how important GEO and Content Diversification is. A while back, I decided to test the waters with a long-tail query in ChatGPT: “How to use DeepSeek R1 To write SEO content that will rank?"I wasn’t expecting much. To my surprise, one of my videos popped up as a top result—even beating out a website with a much higher domain authority! As of the time of this recording, this site is sitting at a domain authority of 9 (it's still new), the competitor was at around 39.

This experience taught me three key lessons:

Diversifying Your Content Works:
By offering a mix of videos, blog posts, and infographics, you give AI multiple pieces of your work to choose from. Even if one piece isn’t perfect, another might just hit the bullseye.
Quality and Clarity Win the Day:
My video did well because it was straightforward and answered the question clearly. I had spent time breaking down the topic into bite-sized, easy-to-understand sections, which turned out to be a real win in the AI-driven search world.
Small Can Outperform Big:
Even if you’re a small fish in a big pond, a well-optimized, focused piece of content can sometimes outswim the sharks. That day, it proved that diversifying your content and tailoring it for GEO can level the playing field. Who knew that with a bit of effort, you could make the big guys sweat?

This personal insight shows that GEO isn’t just a fancy buzzword—it’s a practical approach you can implement right away. With a few tweaks, even a small site can start competing with the industry giants.

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Wrapping It All Up

Generative Engine Optimization is a fresh twist on traditional search strategies. While SEO remains crucial, GEO helps you get a spot in the answers that AI tools deliver directly to users. Whether you’re a local business, a blogger, or run an online store, adding GEO to your strategy can boost your visibility in today’s search environment.

To recap:

GEO is about making your content friendly for AI search engines, ensuring that it’s picked as the answer when users ask questions.
It doesn’t replace traditional SEO—it adds another way for your audience to find you.
Optimizing for AI searches involves clear writing, structured data, dedicated FAQ sections, and targeting long-tail queries.
A mix of content formats and a relaxed, conversational tone (with a sprinkle of humor) can help your content stand out.
Real-world experience shows that even a smaller site can compete with larger ones if you diversify your content and optimize smartly.

By taking the actionable steps mentioned above, you can start seeing improvements in how your content is picked up by AI tools. Remember, it’s not just about chasing clicks—it’s about building trust and recognition in an AI-driven world.For those looking for additional tips on how to refine your approach, check out this guide on optimizing content for AI. It’s packed with useful insights and examples to help you get started.So, if you haven’t started considering GEO in your strategy yet, now’s the time. Try out some of these tips on your next piece of content and see how your visibility improves.

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And hey, if you're feeling overwhelmed with GEO and SEO, consider joining our online community, the AI Ranking SKOOL. We help you simplify SEO and maximize it with AI and automations. Happy optimizing—and may your content always be the one that gets picked by the AI!

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Understanding SearchGPT and its SEO Requirements

SearchGPT is OpenAI’s innovative search engine designed to deliver direct, conversational answers using generative AI technologies. Traditional keyword-based SEO alone won’t work here—you’ll need strategies tailored specifically for conversational search.

Essential SEO Practices for SearchGPT

Create Conversational, Comprehensive Content

SearchGPT understands context, natural language, and user intent better than traditional search engines. To rank well, your content needs to align closely with natural conversational patterns.

Best practices:

Structure content around full questions and complete answers.
Integrate conversational keywords and phrases.
Create detailed, authoritative answers that directly address user intent.

For example, instead of targeting "SEO tips," optimize for phrases like "How can I optimize content for SearchGPT?" or "What's the best way to rank content on SearchGPT?"

Personal Insight:

In my experience, diversifying your content formats significantly improves SEO outcomes. Rather than relying solely on written blogs, incorporating videos, podcasts, or infographics ensures broader appeal and higher engagement, aligning perfectly with the conversational nature of SearchGPT.

Technical Optimization for AI Crawlers

SearchGPT relies heavily on technical structure, as its AI crawlers differ from traditional bots.

Key technical SEO factors include:

Clean, structured HTML or Markdown: SearchGPT has limited JavaScript crawling capabilities, so a logical HTML structure ensures complete indexing.
Metadata: Clear titles, descriptions, and publication dates help SearchGPT quickly evaluate content relevance.
Optimized response times: Ensure your website loads quickly—AI crawlers have strict timeout constraints (usually 1-5 seconds).

Structured Data and Metadata

Implementing schema.org markup helps SearchGPT precisely interpret content, improving its ability to serve your content directly to users.

Recommended structured data includes:

Article markup (title, author, publication date)
FAQs markup (clearly marking questions and concise answers)
Product or service details (price, availability, reviews)

Building Authority Through Backlinks

Backlinks remain essential, signaling credibility to SearchGPT’s AI-driven algorithms.

Effective link-building strategies include:

Creating exceptional, shareable content.
Establishing collaborations and partnerships with authoritative sites.
Actively seeking editorial links from reputable sources.

FAQs: Optimizing for AI and Traditional Search

How to rank on Bing search engine?

Since SearchGPT reportedly uses Bing’s index, optimizing for Bing can significantly enhance your SearchGPT visibility:

Prioritize strong domain authority and quality backlinks.
Optimize content with clearly structured metadata and schema markup.
Focus on user experience metrics like page load speed and user engagement signals.

How to rank on ChatGPT?

ChatGPT prioritizes direct answers from credible, structured sources:

Provide concise, direct answers to common user queries.
Include Q&A structures explicitly.
Ensure your content is easily summarized by AI models.

How to optimise for SearchGPT?

Create conversational, Q&A-style content.
Ensure fast load times and structured HTML.
Implement schema.org markup to clarify content type.
Provide transparent and verifiable source citations.

Future-Proofing SEO Strategies for AI Search

AI-driven search engines like SearchGPT will continue evolving rapidly. Traditional metrics like keyword rankings will become less relevant. Instead, monitor engagement metrics such as session duration, direct engagement with content, and your site’s ability to clearly answer user queries.

Actions for continuous optimization:

Regularly update your content based on performance metrics.
Stay informed about AI search trends and algorithm updates.
Adopt a test-and-learn approach, continuously adjusting your strategy.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing for SearchGPT requires thoughtful adjustments from traditional SEO, emphasizing conversational content, technical excellence, and structured data implementation. As SearchGPT continues to evolve, adopting flexible and AI-aligned SEO strategies ensures your content remains visible and valuable—effectively meeting both AI algorithms’ expectations and your users’ evolving needs.

The takeaway? Focus on user value, structure for clarity, and adapt continuously to maintain SEO success in the age of AI-powered search.

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SEO Strategies

How to Do SEO for SearchGPT and Rank #1

Unlock SearchGPT SEO success by crafting conversational content, optimizing structure for AI crawlers, leveraging schema markup, and prioritizing user intent.

The Truth About Backlinks in 2025: What Actually Works

Backlinking seems to be this black art in SEO that everybody either doesn't understand or is suspiciously quiet about. The truth is that backlinks are still very relevant in today's SEO strategy – and they absolutely should be.

Why Backlinks Still Matter

Fundamentally, backlinks are Google's way to verify whether you're trustworthy. When other websites link to yours, they're essentially vouching for you. This makes perfect sense as an important ranking metric – the more sites that trust you, the better your content probably is, so the higher you should rank. In competitive niches, if you don't have a clear backlinking strategy, good luck getting anywhere.

The Reality of Google's Stance

Google states they don't condone buying backlinks, which sounds nice on paper, but reality tells a different story. If buying backlinks didn't work, the backlinking industry wouldn't be worth billions of dollars. Services like The Hoth, Get Me Links, Rhino Rank, plus thousands of Fiverr gigs wouldn't exist. Backlinks work, and buying them (if you know what you're doing) absolutely works too.

How to Actually Get Backlinks in 2025

The "Write Great Content" Myth

Google likes to sound like a Boy Scout by saying "just write valuable content and the links will come." Sometimes this works, but mostly it's bullshit. Great content alone rarely attracts backlinks naturally.

Manual Outreach

One legitimate approach is manually reaching out to websites, saying: "Hey, I noticed you discuss X topic. I've written a detailed post about that – linking to my article would add value to your readers." This is how Google wants you to do it, but it rarely works well and requires massive manpower to implement effectively.

Featured.com and Expert Platforms

A quicker solution without spending money is using sites like Featured.com. These platforms connect publications with subject matter experts. Featured.com lets you browse questions from publishers looking for expert answers. If you provide great answers, you'll be rewarded with a backlink to your website. The free tier allows three questions monthly, though only one or two might get published due to competition.

Create Interactive Content

Building fun, useful content can attract backlinks naturally. Free tools are particularly effective. On our website, we have a free keyword research tool created specifically to drive traffic and generate backlinks. Yours doesn't need to be as sophisticated – if you sell jewelry, a simple ring size calculator could work. These tools can bring in high-quality backlinks with minimal effort.

Buying Backlinks

You can simply buy backlinks through services like The Hoth or Rhino Rank. But you need to know what you're doing – specifically how to analyze what makes a good versus bad backlink:

Is it contextually relevant? A dog training website getting links from computer gear sites makes little sense.
Do you want a guest post or link insertion?
What about domain authority?

Speaking of domain authority, this metric is somewhat made up. Yes, Google has its own internal domain ranking system, but we don't know it. The domain authority scores from Ahrefs or SEMrush are their own metrics that may not match Google's evaluation.

Generally, look for websites with consistent backlink growth and organic traffic increases rather than fixating on a specific domain authority number. If they've had relatively steady growth and have a higher domain authority than yours (despite what I just said about these metrics), it's probably a decent backlink.

What If You're Clueless But Need Backlinks?

If you don't know what you're doing but need backlinks and lack time, I personally recommend GetMeLinks. Full disclosure: I know these guys and have worked with them extensively.

Unlike The Hoth or RhinoRank, Get Me Links offers human interaction without requiring huge budgets. You can schedule a 15-minute call to discuss strategy, making it a collaborative process. They provide monthly reports showing what backlinks they've secured, and regular meetings keep you involved in the strategy.

Do You Actually Need a Backlinking Strategy?

It depends on your niche's competitiveness. In the wedding industry in Sydney, Australia? You'll need serious backlinks to rank well in such a competitive space with established players. Your options are spending on backlinks or Google Ads – either way, your wallet will feel it.

But if you're a dog trainer in a small Idaho town with only one competitor, you can probably rank without an extensive backlink strategy.

I hope this has been valuable. If you want a full video tutorial on building backlinks yourself, check out my recent guide linked below.

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SEO Strategies

The Truth About Backlinks in 2025

Discover the truth about backlinks in 2025: why they still matter for SEO, which strategies actually work, and how to build quality backlinks without wasting time or money

Leveraging AI for Keyword Research in 2025: A Smart Approach

I think by now, you probably know or feel that if you're not using AI to leverage nearly every aspect of your work, you're really missing out. And keyword research is no exception. In fact, I'd take it a step further and say that using AI for keyword research can really give you the edge and is something you should be doing today.

Why We Need Keyword Research

First off, let's understand why keyword research is fundamental. There are a few key problems that proper keyword research solves for us:

Finding the Right Keywords

Keyword research facilitates choosing the correct terms to focus on.

For example, we might think our audience is looking for "Professional dog training services," but when we do a little keyword research, we discover golden opportunities like "canine training services," which has nearly the same search volume but significantly lower competition. This allows us to get more bang for our buck with the work we do.

Matching User Intent

We need to ensure that the keywords on our pages actually match what users are searching for.

Consider this: if we're a SaaS company offering project management software, we might use terms like "project management software" or "professional SaaS project management software" on our page. But users might actually be searching for "office work task manager" or "office work task tracker tool."

These might seem like odd keyword choices, but if that's how your audience searches, you need to understand that through keyword research. It's all about how your potential audience is searching for your products or services.

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Maximizing Keyword Research with AI

I hear this question a lot:

"Can I do keyword research with ChatGPT?" Or "Can you do keyword research with any AI tool?"

The answer is yes and no. You can do keyword research, or better yet, you can do keyword idea research with ChatGPT. We need to understand that fundamentally, GPT, Claude, and Gemini don't have access to keyword research data such as search volume, keyword difficulty, cost per click, and other metrics—so they won't give you that data.

What these models will give you is a really good idea of potential keywords to explore, which you can then verify have sufficient search volume. I prefer to use large language models as a way to organize keyword research into an easy-to-follow, step-by-step strategy.

The Problem with Traditional Keyword Research

Many people get stuck at the data collection stage. They're happy they purchased Ahrefs or SEMrush, they do loads of keyword research, and then... what next? That's where they get stuck.

How do you implement keyword research into a strategy? That's where large language models come into play.

A Practical Approach to AI-Powered Keyword Research

Step 1: Use AI Models to Generate Keyword Ideas

Before diving into data collection, start with AI to brainstorm potential keywords. This is where models like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini shine. You can prompt them with questions like:

"What keywords might someone use when looking for [your product/service]?""Generate alternative ways to describe [your offering]""What are niche-specific terms related to [your industry]?"

These models have been trained on vast amounts of internet content and can suggest terminology you might not have considered. For example, if you run a fitness studio, beyond obvious terms like "gym" or "fitness center," an AI might suggest "functional training space," "boutique workout studio," or "group exercise classes near me."

The key here is to cast a wide net and collect as many potential keyword ideas as possible without worrying about metrics yet.

Step 2: Gather Data to Validate Your Keywords

Now that you have a robust list of potential keywords, it's time to validate them with actual data.

You can use tools like Ahrefs, but lately, I'm preferring Data for SEO's API because they make things more affordable while maintaining high quality. I'll show you a video below where I demonstrate an automation that gets all the keyword research you need absolutely free, as Data for SEO is giving everyone (or at least my followers) $5 of free API credit, which is more than enough for what you need.

This step is crucial because it tells you which of your AI-generated keyword ideas actually have search volume, how competitive they are, and what their potential value might be.

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Step 3: Make Sense of the Data

Once you have your data set, you need to make sense of it all. This is where large reasoning models come into play.

By giving the model background on what it's supposed to do with the keywords, it can transform the keyword "mumbo jumbo numbers" into actionable insights. Here's how:

Give the large language model an understanding and background of the business it's working for (context)
Provide it with your keyword research
Ask it to tell you how to implement these keywords on your website

You can then have a productive back-and-forth conversation with the model. It might tell you how to better optimize your on-page SEO by integrating one keyword instead of another, because it now has the correct data to make a data-driven approach.

Summary: The AI Keyword Research Process

So fundamentally, we're using AI for three key purposes:

Generate keyword ideas: Use large language models to brainstorm potential keywords without worrying about metrics
Get data for those keywords: Use tools like Data for SEO to validate these keywords with actual search volumes, difficulty scores, and other metrics
Organize and interpret the data: Feed that data back to reasoning models like OpenAI's GPT-4.5 or Claude 3.7 to organize and make sense of it all

Let the AI do the heavy lifting for you. That's the best way to do keyword research with AI in 2025.

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